Warehouse fires

Fires in warehouses are not uncommon. Many of these fires are very serious, some resulting in loss of life and millions of dollars property and product damage. The following summaries of significant warehouse fires reinforce the importance of taking safety and fire prevention seriously. Summaries of significant warehouse fires are presented below  

Mattresses in a 30-foot-high warehouse in Kansas became the cause of a fire because they were stored too close to a mercury vapor light. When the mattresses ignited, the fire activated the heat-detection system and wet-pipe sprinkler system. Firefighters used two 1 %-inch fire hoses to combat the fire, which was brought under control after one hour. Damage to the structure and contents totaled 605,000. 

At a 200,000-square-foot warehouse in Nebraska, radiant heat from a gas-fueled heater ignited wooden crates that were covered with cardboard. The building did not contain an automatic detection or suppression system. Total dollar loss was 10 million. One firefighter was injured fighting the fire. 

A fire in the third floor of a paper-storage warehouse in Illinois resulted in a 50 million loss. The building did not contain an automatic detection system, but it did have an automatic sprinkler system. Two firefighters were injured fighting the fire. 

A two-story general-storage warehouse for a mail-order company in Indiana experienced a 10 million fire on October 8, 1996. The fire started in a second-story supply room. The detection system on the second floor had been disconnected several years earlier. Sprinklers on the first level and in an adjacent structure activated but could not control the fire. 

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Each year, Americans report over three million fires leading to 29,000 injuries and 4,500 deaths (1). The direct property losses exceed 8 biUion (1) and the total annual cost to our society has been estimated at over 100 biUion (2). Personal losses occur mosdy in residences where furniture, wall coverings, and clothes are frequently the fuel. Large financial losses occur in commercial stmctures such as office buildings and warehouses. Fires also occur in airplanes, buses, and trains. 

Spills may represent the greatest point source release of methyl parathion to groundwater and surface water. An accidental spill caused by a warehouse fire in Nebraska released methyl parathion to a drainage ditch that emptied into the Missouri River (Kawahara et al. 1967). In another incident, 10 tons of methyl parathion spilled in the Mediterranean Sea near Eg q)t as a result of a collision between two ships (Badawy et al. 1984). 

Ohio, USA Warehouse—A pharmaceutical warehouse fire resulted in damage to adjacent warehouses and a total property loss of 100 million dollars. 

Manual fire suppression is not normally dependable as a primary fire protection strategy for chemical storage warehouses. Fires may grow to uncontrollable size before effective manual response can be employed, and may pose severe risks to firefighters. In warehouses, manual suppression usually involves far more water application than automatic systems, aggravating problems of disposal of fire water runoff. 

A large warehouse fire occurred on November 1, 1986 at a Swiss chemical facility. The warehouse, though originally built for storing machinery, was approved for agro-products and chemicals of flash points above 70°F (21 °C). 

SANDOZ, United States Eire Administration, Sherwin-Williams Paint Warehouse Fire, 1987. 

Grain dust collects in the warehouse. The dust reacts with oxygen of the air. This reaction generates heat. The heat raises the temperature to ignition temperature and spontaneous combustion takes place. Sometimes, grain warehouse fires are caused by sparks. 

The book is an amplified version of papers presented at the 1982 ACS CHAS Div. Symposium on safe storage of laboratory chemicals. Chap. 2 deals with the segregation of incompatible reactive chemicals on a logical basis [1], Two accounts of chemical warehouse fires emphasise the severe problems which arise from lack of proper segregation in storage of chemicals [2,3]. Academic study has reduced the problems of storage, both environmental and safety, to a system with an hundred subclassification groups. This solution seems likely to remain academic [4],... 

Fires. Combustion of any kind produces toxic particulate matter, smoke. The combustion can be natural such as a lightning-induced forest fire or unnatural such as the burning of fossil fuel for energy production, a petroleum refinery or plastics warehouse fire)22-23 In addition to particulates, fires produce PAHs, carbon monoxide, organic and inorganic cyanides, and free radicals that are toxicJ24-25 ... 

Topics Include methods lor calculating damage resulting from the physical effects of accidental releases, using risk assessment Information to specify safety control systems, fault tree analysis, hazards of trace substances, warehouse fires, human exposure to process systems, and solutions to human factor problems. 

Employees should be instructed and drilled on when and how to evacuate and where to assemble after leaving the warehouse. An evacuation plan should include a person or persons assigned to ensure that all employees have vacated the warehouse and have been accounted for. Employee notification that an emergency condition exists could be done through the use of a public address system or the warehouse fire alarm system. 

Basel, Switzerland 1986 Warehouse Fire Massive contamination of Rhine and very large fish kill Changes in Seveso Directive... 

Koseki H. 1982, Warehouse Fire atYokkaichi City, Shoubou Shuuhou, No.36, 25-29p, 1982 Fire and Disaster Management Agency 1982, Fite Safety Countermeasures for Expandable Polystyrene Beads, etc., Notification, Dec. 14, 1982... 

There are many lire protection problems in warehouses. One should refer to the NFPA National Fire Code and other sources for more details about storing particular materials and fire protection in warehouses. Fire protection consideration includes type of commodity, ease of ignition, rate of fire spread, and rate of heat produced. Other factors are quantities of material stored, how they are stored, height of storage, and accessibility. Distance to other commodities can also be important. For example, fuels must be separate fiom oxidizers. All these characteristics help determine the fire hazards and suitable designs and controls. 

APELL was launched in 1988 following various industrial accidents that had adverse impacts on health and the environment. Well-known examples of such accidents include Bhopal in 1984 and the Sandoz warehouse fire near Basel in 1986, which resulted in extensive contamination of the Rhine. 

To set up and run a hazardous materials warehouse in New Zealand is a bureaucratic nightmare with a myriad of Aets covering different aspects. And this was before there was any serious environmental protection legislation. It was in this environment that the ICI warehouse fire occurred. 

HSW also requires the employer to make arrangements for the safe use, handling and storage of substances and equipment. The detailed requirements in respect of certain substances are contained in regulations such as HFL and COSHH. Safe storage of substances relates not only to the physical arrangements such as racking etc., but also to possible chemical reactions between adjacently stored substances. A number of serious warehouse fires reinforce this requirement. 

Following an incident at Basle, Switzerland, in which contaminated fire fighting water from a warehouse fire entered the Rhine and caused severe ecological damage, the chemical industry and storage companies have been studying better methods of run-off water control. Their recommendations are published in a booklet. ... 

Major warehouse fires have occurred even in facilities with automatic sprinkler systems and other built-in fire protection. Problems often are due to lack... 

Containers Storage cabinets Storage rooms Wiring Ventilation Buildings Offices Warehouses Fire control Point of final use... 

Flammable liquids in small pressurized spray cans, such as paints, hair sprays, or engine cleaners, have the ability to explode from internal pressure when heated in a fire. The exploding cans create fireballs and are rocketing projectiles that leave a trail of burning liquid. Even a small quantity involved in a warehouse fire can have the potential to spread a fire and overtax the sprinkler system. Figure 5-9 illustrates a poster identifying the dangers of aerosols. 

Fire protection in warehouses is a necessity. Data show that there are many warehouse fires each year that cost many millions of dollars. These losses do not have to occur if fire safety is taken seriously by management. 

Wilcox, William E. Preventing Warehouse Fires — How Not to Get Burned. Engineers Digest. November 1996, pp. 32-38. 

Chapter Five addresses fire safety in warehouse operations, including information on some very serious warehouse fire losses. The reports from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) point out that each of the fires was preventable. One fire, in particular, resulted in a 280 million loss. Paying attention to housekeeping practices, maintenance of fire systems, and safe storing and handling of product will lower the risk associated with fires. Trained engineers can offer guidance on complete fire safety. 

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